The G20 e-Trade Readiness Index is an Economist Intelligence Unit report, commissioned by eBay. The report is based on a quantitative index ranking of countries on the degree to which they encourage—through policy, regulation and infrastructure—cross-border trade using the Internet. The index comprises more than 40 indicators across five thematic categories: investment climate, Internet environment, international trading environment, regulatory and legal framework, and the environment for e-payments. The categories within the index are weighted according to our assumptions of their relative importance in facilitating cross-border trade using the Internet, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The index focuses on the G20, though for the purposes of this research we have excluded the EU as a separate entity in the rankings, hence only 19 countries are ranked.

In addition to analysis of the index findings, this report is based on wide-ranging desk research and interviews with experts on the challenges and opportunities in cross-border online trading. The Economist Intelligence Unit bears sole responsibility for the content of this report. The findings do not necessarily reflect the views of the commissioner. Christopher Clague was responsible for the index design. Diane Alarcon was the author of the report and Laurel West was the editor.